Recently, a video circulating online shows a Waymo driverless taxi attempting to evade a police car on a highway. The incident actually occurred in May 2026 in San Francisco, USA.
That day, passenger Elliot Slade and his fiancée hailed a Waymo driverless vehicle through the platform, planning to travel from San Mateo back to their home in the Mission District. The highway section where the incident occurred was undergoing construction, and the California Highway Patrol was conducting a traffic control operation by pacing vehicles at reduced speed, with a patrol car ahead slowing traffic and guiding civilian vehicles to queue up at lower speeds. Other vehicles in the traffic flow slowed down in line, but the Waymo did not stop to queue—it activated its turn signal and attempted to maneuver around the patrol car to continue forward. After entering the construction-only lane, the vehicle continued to accelerate for approximately 20 seconds. Eventually, the vehicle exited the highway and came to a stop in a residential area. The passengers connected with Waymo back-office staff by phone, and Slade stated he demanded to get out immediately and refused to continue the trip.
After the incident, Waymo responded that it had temporarily suspended highway Robotaxi operations in four cities—San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Miami—and that the team would update and recalibrate the vehicle software based on this incident, with highway routes to be restored after further evaluation. Waymo subsequently provided Slade with 3 ride vouchers, each worth up to $40. Slade said he most likely would not use them, would no longer ride in driverless taxis that require highway travel, and stated that unless an independent investigation is completed and full data is made public, it would be difficult for him to trust autonomous vehicles again.